The Suddenly and the Silence

PS if I protected and and it's a feeling that way for the invitation to be to be with you today in the stuff information and some kind of match and some T-shirts and jumpers and hats and wear that kind of thing. And I usually I'll bring that with me cuz it helps just to contribute towards the ministry that live on this is doing nationally helps us to do events. Nicholas Festival in and spine a youth groups know these things about to tell you what what do today is anything that you anything that you purchased the day from the living tombstone will give that straight to to fill out these guys got to Limitless Festival without me. Okay, so anything you want to if you so you can give and you can look awesome at the same time. Okay, since I was a double portion Michael. In the Bible Fantastic Aria who's two years old and that's a boy who is 5 and a couple of summers ago to buy to do in this this this thing and if you can picture the scene it in my Harmony and Melvin, we have a lot of kitchen as you do most houses and French doors and they open up on to this festival pachyveria and sew in the in the summer months. You know, when it's a it's a lovely hot and sunny day like it is today will often just going to leave their stores open in every day. He would kind of weeping in the kitchen. We be doing some stuff you might make him to your washing up and he would he would kind of leave for a little bit and we do need to know where I was and then after a short time he Back in and he had that look on his face, you know this if you are a parent of a small child, but you know, he's been up to something, you know, you know that look you recognize that back into the kitchen with this mischievous. Look on his face and Eddie would do this kind of every day over the summer and he would he would just look up with us and he would go it's a mystery. It's a mystery weed on the patio, but isn't it true to say to us that there are some things that when it comes to the nature and God and the ways of God remains to us a mystery. And it would be trying to say this wouldn't that particularly of God's intervention in our lives that seems to me to be one of those Mysteries by which I mean when we give our lives to Jesus we know and we believe we trust that we that Christ dwells in our hearts through faith. So he's always present with us in that way and yet I'm sure that we've all experienced Times by God intervenes. At times when he doesn't. There were times when he reveals himself to us and there are times where it feels more like he's hiding himself from us. There are times when he feels times when he does not there are times when he speaks and times when he remained silent and it is what it's a mystery answer my phone in. This message is not so much to unravel that mystery for us though. We will do some of that as well. Don't worry, but rather to give you a degree in which to place your experience of the intervention of God or the seeming lack thereof and for you to know that you are not the only one and you are not the first one to have lived in the tension of this mystery estimate if I could just know that there was somebody who called loved and believed in God and follow God and experience God that experienced that Tensions on the mysteries on the unanswered questions that I experienced then that would kind of help me to to come to terms with it. You know, what we're going to do for a few on a journey together with the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul is many of you when I was previously quotes soul. And as many of you will know so hated Christians United Christian song about that you giving his whole life over to hunting them down and either killing them having them killed or imprisoning them the same sword. I forgot who who stood by and watched on giving his approval as a Stephen was stoned to death simply for being a follower of Jesus. This is so who made it his mission in life to stop out Christianity before it would ever be cooled Christiana C and as we jump into the story together, This morning. We will find his mission in this moment was gaining some traction. It was taking some ground until that is the resurrected Jesus.

Suddenly showed up. I need something in his life. So if you go to Bible, why don't you turn it on or turn to it? If you know what's going on like me chapter 9 this morning as you find Acts chapter 9 in your Bibles on your Bible app. Why do we pray together?

Call Joyce a higher than our ways. what's a greater than our thoughts and Go to close. It makes sense that we can't understand you because if we could understand you you wouldn't be God, you're so much bigger. You're so much as much as that will always be true. You have given us the Bible you were to us, and as we really got into it and begin to understand that we can begin to unpick some of those Mysteries to understand you a little more to get to know you a little bit better, and I pray that that would be the testimony of this Sunday morning that we would leave this morning. Just knowing and understanding your ways and your purpose is in our lives. Just a little better. We pray in Jesus name. I'm in suits mission to wipe out Christianity is gaining Traction in Acts chapter 9 and the I think is it black investment here? We got married while he was still breathing out threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and ask him for lettuce to the synagogues in the basket so that if he found any that that belongs to the way the way was what they used to call Christianity before it dumps Christianity. I kind of like the way I can sing to go back to anyway, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem and ask if you'd help me out on something this morning and Shop suddenly. Oh that was good. I like from Heaven fresh to round him and he fell to the ground. And so why do you persecute me? He was like You Lord so last I am Jesus you are persecuting. He replied now get up and go into the City and you will be told what you must do. The men traveling with soul stood there speechless they heard the sound but they did not see anyone. So got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing. So they let him by the hand in Damascus and for three days, he was blind and did not eat or drink anything. So Jesus, he suddenly appears to Soul blinds him and send him off to Damascus to me a follower of the way named ananias. I'm going to jump on a few verses 217 which says this then placing his items on so he said brother so little Jesus will put you on the road as you becoming he has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. I will see you immediately you go to immediately something like scales fell from his life and he could see again. He got up and was baptized and I have to take him some food. He regained his Stripes Jesus suddenly appears to Sue and his life is transformed and place was so animated. Italy soon is Hill Church. How many of us know that God is still the god of the suddenly that he is still willing and able to intervene in our lives to bring about a southernly transformation of suddenly provision of suddenly healing today. Do we still believe that inside them this morning?

Jesus heals the eyes of the blind in the scripture. Let me tell you a story about a few years ago when my my dad and my wife and a team for my Dodge truck driver attacks. Turn Devin. We we went to India after 10 days to do a mission trip, but that's kind of a long-standing relationship with the church out there and they go to in front and my wife and I was fortunate enough to sit on this occasion to join my dad and and the team and we have some patience with us and some prescription lenses be coming into poor communities and the Opticians between free eye test and giving out free prescription lenses to folks who otherwise wouldn't have been able to afford my wife and I on my. And so we were just going into these communities and meeting people and sharing Jesus and offering to pray for people. Unity my my wife Jenn who it's important to know for the story spiral skin and long blonde hair along with foreign who is the guy from my dad's chest guy from Germany and Jesse from the church locally, who was our translator. We're praying for somebody in this community when a very small and frail old lady walked directly into my wife bumped into her so they wanted to see what was going on and cancer engage in conversation and found out that the reason she had walked into her I was because she was blind totally blind though. She had thought being born blind, but she had been totally blind now full 15 years. And so Jesse and Florin and Jen began to pray for this week. Ashley pecan Sprite this little old lady began to reach out to my wife and she touch your skin. She began to stroke her hair. Why because she had never seen a blond white woman before and after 15 years of being totally blind just like Soul Jesus had immediately opened her eyes.

He she is a little picture of here with that. She is next to flooring for the people around in the community Grill names because they knew that this woman would be totally blinded immediately. Jesus has intervened in her life. And he died in that burger. I wanted you to know this morning church that Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever. He is still the god of Soul. He's still the go to pool. He's still the god of the immediately. He has not lost his power and he is still willing and able to show up in a southerly moment in our lives. The story from the scripture story from a few years ago in a different country. Let me show you a story from my heart and town of of mulvan more recently. This is Ricky. Vicky is not a Christian Vicky came to the youth group that we pioneered in mulvan Limitless Melvin. She came to the very first session. Is she still helps out even now now she's nineteen. She still helps out and I are not seen me for now and we were in our youth group and we would do it in a used alphacool. Some of you will be familiar with the alpha course and you'll know that you were encouraged whether she used on fraud or normal after what I did at the end of that time that you spent together wrestling with questions about God you're encouraged to Spencer to make some spice to encounter guard to to invite the Holy Spirit and so was the end of the shoes off of course and we had we had arranged this night whenever one of our team is going to speak and we were going to just pray for people that I can see what happened the night before A little picture in my mind been if you would know that sometimes the way that God speaks to us history pictures and I'll Minds on what I'd seen as I seen Vicky in my mind and I seen that she had one leg longer than the other one and I saw this picture in my mind. I thought to myself I know what this is. I know I seen this before this is when somebody has a bad back and neck Twisted that back and because they've Twisted that back it appears as they're one of the legs is longer than the other night for that. Maybe God wanted to Gila so next night comes and it's it's our end of alpha night and sure enough Vickie. Sorry that talk happens is singing a few songs. I'm trying to pluck up the courage you notes go over it. Eventually, I'll Manalapan.

What time do you have a bad back? She goes no. I know this is probably what happened was I last night. I thought God gave me a picture of you with one leg longer than the other one. She goes to set up Mason. I think that maybe God wants to heal you would you mind if we if we we pray for you so we sat around on a seat just like this one and we held up her legs and short off one of her legs around three centimeters longer than the other one of the few people around and we began to pray for Vicki. And we watched and not moving as God moved in Vicky's body straightened out her pelvis, and we watched as that leg appear to grow and line up with the other one in Vicki's face when it's really weird. I said what Vicki she said I can feel it move and then the next Tuesday night at youth group Christian was on the microphones have a friend who's not a Christian and Christians about how Jesus had he with her in that moment. Jesus still the goal of the immediately. I want to have we stopped believing That God is willing and able to enter into our circumstances with a sun Lee Marvin. How do we know how do we know if we stopped believing for the suddenly? How do you know if we stop believing for the Sunday moment in our lives in our churches in our schools month / friends in our what places in our community groups in our families? How do we know that we start believing? We know that we stop believing stop praying for it. But you know what even more even more I think this is true. We know we stop believing for it. We know we stopped believing it can happen in our lives when we stopped taking a risk on. Do you know what if that is you? I got it. Totally get it shows you another story was in my hometown of mulvan again on I was going down the High Street and buy High Street. I mean one street with lots of Charity shops and tea rooms. And that's it. If you really love like second-hand Cardigans and tea served in China, you should visit Bowl them cuz you will have a wonderful day song is pi streets and that usually form over and I actually that was a nice chap who is sitting outside and he said that if you want I'd love to take you into to mirror and get you some lunch. So he said, okay, so we received in the queue and we we got to the counter and he ordered everything. What would Jesus do you want boy in his lunch? I noticed that his breathing was incredibly. Just be like that but really significant like that. And so I asked him about it. He had some lung damage from working with asbestos in his in his younger years. And so I thought why I kind of soap lots of the current I said listen, this is going to sound really old but I'm a Christian I believe in God believe that goes I want to hear you. Would you mind if I pray for you? So he said sure So we stood outside Cafe New Roseanne the artist coffee and a sandwich or whatever and I and I pray that my ass go to hate it. Finish paying for my said okay, I need one.

Exactly the same.

Anne Church therein lies the mystery You know what? I copy on the steam my face took a bit of a hit that day. I said hey, what's the deal? I took a risk on you and you didn't come through and you know what? I don't know if I want to try that again and actually try that again, but do you know church I have resolved in my heart that I would rather take a risk on the suddenly. I'm not see it. Sometimes then give up on the suddenly. I miss you every single time. So I want to encourage you to chew believes for the suddenly again if you pray the prayer. Us for prayer and it didn't happen and it didn't work out for you pray that again if you took that step in faith, and it didn't work out for you to take that step again because it's power is still still still be immediately.

Quite as simple as that is it? And as we know it doesn't always work out to plan does it? But here's the thing. You know what we think of the biblical Heroes like pool. We think that for them he was kind of easy and we think you know, what poop you don't get it cuz it was all right for you with what we think of pool. That's what we think of as that we think of those moments are suddenly my name is the immediately made me think of the time that he met Jesus on the Damascus Road. We think of the time that his blindness was here. We think of a time that the lame man suddenly walked in lystra. We we think of the time that the chains were immediately broken from his wrists while he was in prison in Phillipi. We think is that funny story of you tight chest. You remember the one my pool preach for too long like I do today, we don't notice for us cuz you just go suddenly moment after suddenly moment after 7:11.

But it wasn't always that way for him either. It was another time. the time we don't like to talk about so much when I pull rights in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, he says that for In order to keep me from becoming conceited I was given who is some good. I like to be giving things like it when God gives me things. It was another another miracle. What was it that you were given the media intervention in order to keep me from becoming conceited. I was given A thorn in my flesh a messenger of Satan to torment me. If you ever give me that I'm taking it back. Give me the receipt. You know what I'm saying? I don't want to buy what is the stone that the pool talks about? Well, we don't really know severe headaches something that because of that I'm areas in which pool ministered and traveled it was a case of recurring malaria. We do know that pool had some car trouble so it could have been a debilitating disease when a show but what we do know, is that like a phone? It was painful and it was to build a titer came across this in my preparation for this message from one, which describes the original were the original Greek word form. Just a much heavier. Sorer than the metaphor of a storm might imply. It says that it really seems to mean not a tiny bit of a phone that might life have concealed under the fingertip one of those hideous steaks on which the cruel punishment of impalement used to be inflicted and postal is the triple trouble to buy but that he is as it were. Quivering upon this tremendous.

School, this is Paul who was cool by God to spread the gospel through the Gentile world who wrote the New Testament as we have it today?

Who writes inspired scripture this is Paul and after he becomes a Christian? Please give me the full. Now maybe you're not we can understand this. If it was before he became Christian, you know when he was killing the Christians, but now He's become one. It says they're in the scripture doesn't that it was sent to torment in which to strike with a fist. As if he was being humbled by this irritated painful constant.

But he's way we can take comfort that the great Apostle Paul. He does the same thing that you and I would do in that situation because he goes on to say that three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. Play it. Please call when you intervene what you do something. Now. It's what he says three times. I pleaded he's not talking about like so I prayed you know, I'm Monday in my quiet time before school and nothing happened. So I try to get on Tuesday and then one more time on Wednesday and it didn't happen. So I gave out that's not what this is. What he's saying is that in his life became so painful certain militating that he answered into intense seasons of intersection and Pratt pleading with God to remove it from him. And the first two times God says and God does nothing

no immediately. are suddenly just silence

set timer 30 season of prayer God finally speaks and he says something which is so profound. So powerful that it gives you and it gives me the category in which we are able to make sense of the seeming Silence of God in our lives and he goes on and he says this but my grace your grace is sufficient for your grace is sufficient for me. Your power is made perfect. Your power is made perfect in what in the sudden it's obviously we see God's power. Isn't we? See God's power and suddenly but that's what we see God's power when you tight chest was raised from the dead. Of course, that's when your power was made. Perfect. Your power was made perfectly. Well clearly ghost power with my perfect when the resurrected Jesus himself appeared on the could that be a more perfect. Jesus himself. Well, apparently that can be there Isabel perfect appearing at the power of God because it's not in the suddenly moments that his power is made perfect. My grace is sufficient for you, but says my power is made perfect in weakness.

I searched his my message today. I'll take in half an hour to say it. But really what I'm saying is one thing and it's simply this that God's power is equally at work in your life in the southern end the silence. so many moments of the ones that we love but I'm not the ones records power reaches its full measure you see but silence is how it seems but it's not how it is. Because though you cannot see it or feel it Opus even in those moments God's power is being made perfect in you in witness. The greatness of this passage literally raised my power reaches its full measure and is perfected in weakness. I love that his power reaches its highest measure and is perfected in weakness is how I wanted you to know today that the presence of adversity does not equate to the absence of God. What did you do today that you're an answered prayer does not mean that God is uninterested. Why because God's power reaches its full measure and is perfected in weakness. I want you to know that God's silence is not evidence of God's absence. Why because God's power reaches its full measure. I just perfected in weakness.

Cortez pool You're praying for suddenly moment and this time. The answer is no. but it's an over the promise. That my grace is sufficient for you my power to make perfect. and weakness

I'm sorry, this is so inspiring. Cole responds to God's know by saying these words Therefore I will boast all the more gladly. Where is it? I'm not having some trouble having some trouble today with my thing about my weaknesses power May rest on me. That is why for Christ's sake I will hit this is Counter Culture and weaknesses and insults in hardships and persecutions and in difficulties. Why would you two like in those things? That's really weird because he says when I am weak then I am strong. You guys pull it. Do you know experience and he's still believe in the god of the suddenly. He's still experience the gods whose power was at work in the Sunday my match, but he also knew but the southern V moments what the ones where God's power reached its full measure was perfected actually.

Because it was in the side of the pool discovered that there was a different kind of strength and one that's really worth having to possess it. You have to be weak. It was in the silence the pool understood. But embracing Christ's ability to come with the laying down of our own ability. I don't know about you, but my tendency and in the silence is kind of to hide from it or to run for me or to try and kind of explain it away or pretend. It's not happening at church. We don't do any of that. Which one we can borrow in the silence. We can pot roast in the hardship we can boast in the weakness because there is God's power is resting on your first thing on you in a unique way and its resting on you in an even more profound way and it does in in the moments where it seems more obvious or over. and such as I finish what would happen if we learn to see The Silence of God and the know of God that little bit differently. What if we learned to see the silences as a gift annoying anime? what is Michael we learned to buy roast all the more gladly in our weaknesses and are hot chips so that Christ may be at work and I What we found out that that was a d the category in which we could make sense of the seeming Silence of God in our lives. Just imagine how we would engage so differently in our circumstances if we believed in our minds are just stood in our minds and we knew in our hearts that God's power reaches its full measure and acted in weakness if we knew and understood and lived that God's power is equally at work in the southerly. the silence someone encouraging You start praying for if you stop taking a risk on the suddenly moments in your office and your community group and on your street with your neighbors and in your school. Come on. Let's be those kind of Christians who are willing to take a risk that's take a step in the direction of the sun Li Nets believe in the Supernatural power of God is at work within us moving through us. And God is still alive. I'm willing to intervene in all circumstances. That's that's lived on the streets in the places where we live our lives. . When you can't see God's hand when can't hear his voice. The trust is hot. Because God's power is at work in the suddenly. end the silence what if you try with me this week clothes and maybe that worships him to join us again?

Why don't we just Oceanology not supply for a moment guys. Why don't we just as we talked about silence? Why don't we just take a moment? To be in the silence to wait on him to listen to him just have a few moments of silence and we just say Come Holy Spirit. I'm moving Our Lives speak to our hearts. Come Lord.

Krisha presents with us we pray.

preacher presents for those who pray

I'll look for each individual.

In this room who just is wrestling with what seems like silence what seems like absence. May they know? The thermos how it seems it's not how it is in these moments in that journey in these moments in that walk. Your power is reaching its full measure with that lives. Oh Holy Spirit the packet that Comforts account What should I say to a wrestling with an answered prayer be present now by your spirit meet them in that see where they are.

Echo for each one of us Which you stack original hearts?

I'll look up we do not serve a God who is limited. We suffered Limitless God we serve a god who's willing and able to move in power in 2019 in Southend-on-Sea. If we pray that we would see it again know what I'm thinking of the prayer of the Prophet habakkuk Lord. I'm thinking of his price at he said Lord, I pray renew them at all day and I'll time make them know and I pray that over this church and I pray that over these young people in that schools and in every office that's represented. I pray over over every street that's represented community group. Every family. Every friendship group is represented Lord renew your deeds in our day and that they in Beach places in this town come by your spirit and load my BC hearings on our streets and load. My we may we have the courage to give a word of knowledge or prophetic word into Excel. Backstrap Lord in this next week, maybe expect that you are going to move Lord of in and through ice know we serve a God who is beyond the natural who is Supernatural. We want to be a people who are Supernatural on Hello why we buy me lunch expecting. Maybe you can begin to pray for it. But may we have the courage to take a risk on it? I pray. For Your Glory in all day in this town we pray these things I'm M M M. Thank you for listening. So well, thank you for having me to diet when the price to be with you right away stand together as we conclude by singing another song or two.